RIM CEO: We Won’t Abandon Physical Keyboards in BlackBerrys

Research In Motion Ltd.’s new chief executive sought to further put his stamp on the BlackBerry-maker Wednesday, saying he has refined the focus of the company and is close to hiring a new top marketing officer.

Reuters

Research in Motion CEO Thorsten Heins holds up a prototype of the BlackBerry 10 smartphone.

Heins also told reporters at the annual BlackBerry World conference in Orlando, Fla., that RIM won’t abandon physical keyboards on its BlackBerry 10 smartphones. “We want the typing experience on BlackBerrys to be the best in the world” whether on a physical or touch-screen keyboard, Heins said.

The comments came a day after Heins gave gave the first peek at the next-generation BlackBerrys he is counting on to stop his company’s slide. The prototype unveiled Tuesday sported a touch-screen-only interface, instead of the thumbs-friendly keyboard on most BlackBerrys.

Reactions to the prototype Tuesday were mixed. Some analysts were disappointed the device didn’t preview more features. But many existing RIM customers and partners—along with some outside analysts—said they were enthusiastic. RIM’s shares fell 5.7% on Tuesday after the unveiling.

In Wednesday’s rare, nearly hour-long address to reporters, Heins said RIM was “not focused” in recent years and became fragmented trying to work on too many projects. He said the Waterloo, Ontario-based company is now “laser focused” on the operating system – dubbed BlackBerry 10 – that will power its next line of smartphones, expected to be out later this year.

Heins said RIM is “very, very close” to hiring a chief marketing officer, a post that has been vacant for months. RIM is also currently without a chief operating officer and a chief technology officer. Heins said those positions are also expected to be filled soon.